Sprinkler head



D. F. DUNHAM SPRINKLER HEAD May 13, 1952 Filed Aug. 23, 1948 IIN" INVENToR. fzmr f uNf/AM BY Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE SPRINKLER HEAD Delbert F. Dunham, Long Beach, Calif. Application August 23, 1948, Serial No. 45,695

9 Claims. l

This invention relates to sprinkler heads adapted for connection to suitable water outlets such as are employed in lawn sprinkling systems or to special xtures, and embodies certain improvements over a form of sprinkler head disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,421,551, granted to me on June 3, 1947.

It is an object of the present invention as also of the prior patented invention to provide a sprinkler head which is bodily rotatable, progressively in step-by-step manner on a stationary fixture to which water is supplied from a source, and includes an impulse member oscillatable on the head and adapted to be actuated by water jet means. However, the present invention contemplates the provision of a more economical and dependable device than those heretofore known and used.

It may be explained that sprinkler heads of the same broadly defined characteristics as those of my said former invention, my present invention includes the progressively rotatable head and one or another type of water jet oscillatable impulse member arranged to dei-lect and spread the water over as great an area as possible, the sweep of the water spray being occasioned and controlled by the forward and reverse swing of the impulse member over successive segments of a, circular area of which the sprinkler head is the center.

Also, it is desirable to provide vertically disposed vanes together with or apart from angularly or otherwise disposed surfaces within the influence of one or two water jets for effecting oscillation of the impulse member as the head is bodily rotated. The arrangement and disposition of the surfaces of the impulse member on which water from the jet or jets impinges are such that forces are applied thereto primarily to swing the impulse member to the right or left from a central or neutral position relative to a jet and, secondly, to effect a return swing of the impulse member not merely to but beyond neutral position to a predetermined extent. Hence, it is im portant to so dispose the water impinged surfaces of the impulse member that no conflicting or offsetting forces are applied thereto which would tend-to neutralize or actually stop the swing of the impulse member and thereby at least intermittently defeat the purpose of the invention.

Resort has been had to various expedients to overcome known diiculties and promote efciency and dependability with more or less success, but the requisite characteristics have provoked the production of expensive and complicated devices beyond the ability of acquisition by the large majority of potential users.

Therefore, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a sprinkler head free from the aforesaid objections, capable of being produced at a minimum cost to the user, requiring a minimum of service and repairs, and of assured dependability. Other and more detailed objects of the invention will appear in the following description.

A preferred type of sprinkler head of two slightly different forms is shown in the annexed drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, embodying one form of head and impulse member;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the same with the head and impulse member viewed at a right angle from the plane of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view showing a slightly diiierent form of impulse member than that of Fig. 1.

Briefly described, the sprinkling unit in one form as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, includes a body fixture A, a head attaching member B, a head C attached to member B and :rotatable therewith on xture A, an impulse member D oscillatable on head C on a stud IU and held by one or more nuts I I, and two water nozzles E and E' diametrically located on opposite sides of head C.

Fixture A has a, nipple I2 adapted for connection with a water service tap, a wrench receiving portion I3, a boss I4 and a longitudinal. bore I5. Member B has a wrench receiving head I6 abutting the end of nipple I2 and an elongated tubular stem Il extending entirely through fixture A and thereabove for attachment to head C, a Water passage I8 being provided for conducting water from a source to head C. Said head has a depending skirt I9 internally threaded to receive stem I'I and an enlarged upper body portion 29 formed with two diametrically opposite inclined flats 2I and 22 as in Fig. 1. Water nozzles E and E are attached to body 2U of head C and are inclined upwardly at right angles from flats 2| and 22, respectively. Head C has a water chamber 23 in communication with passage I8 of stern I1 and to which outlets 24 and 25 in the head lead to passages 26 and 2l, respectively, oi nozzles E and E'. i

The primary movement of member D being a swing to one or the other side of the axis of a jet the impulse member is formed as in Fig. 1 with a vertically disposed vane 23 as in Fig. 1, on a leading arm 29 and a pair of inclined Wings 30, 3U on a tail arm 3I as in Fig. 1. In either case the Y 3 vane 28 is at a suicient distance from the common axis of head C and member D to afford a maximum swing of the impulse member with a `minimum effort and to such end also the longer nozzle E is extended upwardly and outwardly to a point close to the arc described by the vane in its swinging movement. Such vane being disposed edgewise: of' the jet issuing from nozzle E cannot'V remain in neutral position inthe path of the jet because of the unequal forces applied thereto by the Water while in a stream or spray and, therefore, will always swing to the right or left, depending upon the distribution ofthe applied forces. -The member D islimited `in its Vswing in opposite directions by upstanding lugs 32 and 32a attached to or integralwithlheadiiC and'adapted to be engaged by facets 32h. and v32o of a driver 33 on member D. Thus, onan impulse. stroke facet32a will forcibly strike lug 32 shown/in Fig.;V 3l and the impact will cause member 33 to"rebound"to-'an Vextent'limited 'by the --engagement yof'faeet 32-With lug'32a'on the right hand side of, head C'V as" shown in Fig. 3.

4"The provision of wings 30,'30 under the inl 'iluence of .a separate jet'issuingfrom nozzle E effects a secondary movement to the impulse memberby means of which said member is returned to neutral position after each swing occasioned by the jet from nozzleE.

As shown best in Fig. 2, wherein the member D is in neutralgposition With `its impulse receiving vane 28 and the apex of the wings 3i! axially .alined with nozzle E, the tendency of the member to swing'to the right orl left Virraccordancer with the particular direction.. irl-'which the member is urged by the greatest'forceofgthe jet*fromnozzle E isopposed to va 'minimum extent by theimrpi'ngement of waterA from jet'E on the inclined `lower surfaceof the trailing wing 3l) ast-he leading wing is moved out of the. influence of the jet fromgnoz'zleE'. vButas"theftrailing wing moves forwardly the" forces :applied thereto-'areA gradualil ly increased. until member icloselyinears its stop 'llug32 and at suchtimev the'forces' applied tothe .trailing wing' have attained a maximumV and are vvsufcieiit to Yinstitute ag'return "swing Yof impulse receiving element`30 withithe formerv trailing wing now becoming Ythe leading wing,V and vice versa.

Thus, member D is quickly .actuated on areverse' stroke through the' jet of nozzle`E,'the forces'applied bythe jet from'nozzle E being additionalto thoseapplied topthe leading wing 30 'from nozzle .,E' and together sufficient to overcome the retarding'forces'applied to the trailing wing Si). Y

Operation of member D is veryrapid and the surfaces of vane 28 and wings 30'which are imvpinged by Water frornjets E and E are so disposed .andtheirinterrelationship ysuch that all possible bene't of momentum is taken and inertia isAquickly overcomeat the extremes of each swing of member D, thereby preventing'any possibility `of a more or less static condition; actual stoppage for quivering condition of member D.

It is apparent that as the member D `rapidly oscillates while under the` inluenceof its Water jjets, at the end of each forward stroke the impactof member D with the lug 32 on Vhead C will be of suicient force 4to slightly rotate head C on Viixture A. As shown in Fig. 3, the rotation of headC is clockwiseon iixture `A and the swing of member Din one Vdirection beyond neutral posirtion is greater thaninan-opposite direction, the direction of greatestswing being opposite to the rotative direction of the head. Thus, the force lof member D appliedtoan-d'for progressively r0- *wings SS and vvanel' on` thesame'radialplane Y `recting the water to successivesegmentsiof a lawn or sward while at the same time spreading the stream backwardly and forwardly over successive areas around the unit.

..The'design of member D is such that it will be counterbalanced on its axis and thereby minimizetheforces'required to overcome inertia and :at thea same timezaiord all possible benet of momentum. To such end the tail arm 3| of the ymember'D of Fig. 4 is formed with 'a driver 33a.

When the sprinkler head is attached to a suitable water outlet .andi mounted irrerect position asA shown-regardless :of the iposition of thezmember D at the time the n.waterjis turned-fon ethe fixture A thexmemberlLD Awill .swing .either to one extreme ior'fthe other of its; rangev and under xthe iniiuence 'of water pressure applied. alternately andsuccessively by the jetsfromrnozzles'E and E will Vbegin `and continue to irapidly oscillate. .The jet from .primary nozzle E ,except Vfor momentary interruptions'as vane .28 :movesxbackwardly: and forwardly through i the streamxfrom nozzle E will :have'a long range ofiromiSO .-to.l00

l feetrradius. in Vits* .progressively rotative sweep to Y the extentof .a complete` circulararea. aroundthe l1ead.C' as. its center. Y

The secondaryY jet or .':streaml will be;morer or less of a spray of much .shorteriradiuszthan `.tl'iat of the primary jet as it is broken up,.deected, and .spread byreason: off.theimpingementofthe water on .wings'38-. yzThe-spray Yof thez secondary jet-however, 'isfalso .progressivelyrotative over af small. circular.; area. concentric with the. larger outer'l area. f

`The rmodified liorm: of device; showniniEig. :e operates @in a 'manneri similar :to theform previously described but. the structure is .different as Afollows: the' jets -Eiand E' .are ,arranged one above the other on .the'same lside iof the head C and the impulse member AD"..isormed withl'the under the influence of jets E 'Y and: E respectively, and a weight 33a on the trailing. side of member D' 'and between the lugs-32 .and'32a- A rib-.3V

connects and strengthens wings: 38 and vane-32B.

In this form of structure the operationandk efrect is the same as in the previouslydescribed form,

'in its broadest concept this invention 'comprehends the provision of a progressively rotatable sprinkler head which-is actuated by an oscillatable impulse member mounted on the head and arranged with at least one vane disposed edge-wise` relative to a primary water jet, and one Yor more-wings, ribs, or vanes under the influence Iof a secondary'water jet.

Said'vane orvanes, wings, or ribs areffarranged on the same or diierent sides of the impulse member and so arranged as to eiect alternateforward and reverse swings of the impulse member and to impart rotative movement to the head atV corresponding alternate swings. Y

In the descriptionof thisY invention the terms forward swing or forward stroke are intended to mean theerective stroke of the impulse member for rotating the head, while the reversefor backward swing or stroke refers to thereturn movement of the impulse member into position for a succeeding effective stroke.

I claim:

1. A sprinkler head comprising: a fixture attachable to a water outlet, a head rotatable thereon, primary and secondary nozzles radially and inclinably xed to said head for jetting separate streams of water, an impulse member oscillatably supported on said head and having a vane disposed edgewise relative to said primary nozzle and a pair of wings reversely inclined downwardly from a central radial plane disposed adjacent the secondary nozzle, a pair of abutments on said head at opposite limits of movement of the impulse member, said impulse member having a drivel' movable between said abutments formed with opposite surfaces alternately engageable with said abutments, for imparting rotative motion to the head through impact with one of the abutments at the end of each forward stroke and limiting movement of the impulse member on each reverse stroke of the impulse member.

2. A sprinkler head as characterized in claim 1 in which the vane on said impulse member is at a greater radial distance from said head than said wings.

3. A sprinkler head as characterized in claim 1 in which said vane is borne by a leading portion and said wings are borne by a trailing portion of the impulse member.

4. A sprinkler head as characterized in claim 1 in which the vane and the wings of the impulse member are radially disposed on the head and said vane at a greater distance from the axis of the head than said wings as to receive greater power impulses from an associated ljet on each forward stroke of the impulse member than is applied to said wings from the other jet on each reverse stroke of the impulse member.

5. A sprinkler head comprising: a fixture attachable to a water outlet, a head rotatably mounted thereon, a primary nozzle and a secondary nozzle spaced apart on the periphery of the head and inclined upwardly for directing separate streams of water over nearby and distant areas surrounding the sprinkler, said head being freely rotatable intermittently and progressively in opposite directions, an impulse member coaxial with and oscillatably mounted on said head, primary and secondary impulse receiving elements radially disposed in the paths of the jets from said nozzles respectively, said primary impulse receiving element having a vane disposed edgewise and said secondary impulse receiving element having wings disposed flatwise and oppositely inclined, said impulse member having a driver arcuately movable in a given path when the impulse member is oscillated, and a pair of abutments stationary on said head in the path of said driver and adapted to be engaged by a suface of said driver at one extreme of movement of the driver for imparting rotative motion to the impulse member at the end of each forward stroke and for limiting a reverse stroke of the impulse member when the other abutment is engaged by an opposite surface of the driver.

6. A sprinkler head as characterized in claim 5 in which the vane of said primary impulse receiving element is at a greater distance from the axis of the sprinkler than the wings of the secondary impulse receiving member whereby a maximum impact of the driver on the abutments of said head is afforded for imparting fractional rotation to the head at each forward stroke of the head while less effort is applied to the wings of the secondary impulse receiving element for eifecting a reverse stroke of the impulse member.

'7. A sprinkler head as characterized in claim 5 in which the vane of said primary impulse receiving element is at a greater distance from the axis of the sprinkler than the wings of the secondary impulse receiving member whereby a maximum impact of the driver on the abutments of said head is afforded for imparting fractional rotation to the head at each forward stroke of the head while less effort is applied to the wings of the secondary impulse receiving element for effecting a reverse stroke of the impulse member, said nozzles and said impulse receiving elements being correspondingly arranged in diametrically opposite positions on said head and said impulse member respectively.

8. A sprinkler head as characterized in claim 5 in which the vane of said primary impulse receiving element is at a greater distance from the axis of the sprinkler than the wings of the seoondary impulse receiving member whereby a maximum impact of the driver on the abutments of "said head is afforded for imparting fractional rotation to the head at each forward stroke of the head while less eifort is applied to the wings of the secondary impulse receiving element for eiecting a reverse stroke of the impulse member, said nozzles being arranged on the same side of said head and said impulse receiving elements being co-radially extended from the impulse member with the impulse receiving elements thereof in the paths of the jets issuable from said nozzles, respectively.

9. A sprinkler head as characterized in claim 5 in which the vane of said primary impulse receiving element is at a greater distance from the axis of the sprinkler than the wings of the secondary impulse receiving member whereby a maximum impact of the driver on the abutments of said head is afforded for imparting fractional rotation to the head at each forward. stroke of the head while less eifort is applied to the wings of the secondary impulse receiving element for effecting a reverse stroke of the impulse member, said nozzles being arranged on the same side of said head and said impulse receiving elements being co-radially extended from the impulse member with the impulse receiving elements thereof in the paths of the jets issuable from said nozzles, respectively, said driver being diametrically opposite said impulse receiving element.

DELBERT F. DUNHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,309,782 Orr Feb. 2, 1943 2,421,551 Dunham June 3, 1947 

